Wanted: Ideas For Large Scale Mining Operation

The servers are quite empty since the update.. and in the meantime I've been considering some things.

I'm a miner, I enjoy mining, I can stay down for weeks at a time, but I've learned a few things about low-level mining and what we could call Minecraft geology, and am starting to wonder what large-scale low-level mining could accomplish.

I've got room to build a HQ on my property on SMP3, and will start it soon if interest garners.

Depending on how feasible, our work force will receive training and tips in advanced mining, and we hope if all goes well, good pay.

So if you're interested, please reply to this thread with the following info:

Your in-game username: ________

Your main 'home' server. (SMP1, SMP2, etc): ________Your time zone:

Times of day you are generally available:

You mainly interested in (Choose one): Profits / Mining / Group Work

And even if you're not interested in participating just yet, please feel free to submit any ideas you have about the most effective ways to mine as a group.

It depends on what you want to dig for, if you want lots of stone you could make a quarry, just dig out a massive hole in the ground to bedrock. The great thing about massive holes in the ground, is you could then use that massive hole to make a mob farm, then cover over the top to make it look nice and less of a hazard to wandering adventurers.

Ok. here's what i mean about branchminingThe red&yellow is the area that you can cover.A larger scale are able to completely strip a whole chunk of ore. (If not completely, it would be at least 99%) or if dig for 160 block long 160wide 60 tall. will strip the whole 100 chunk out of ore.

I like to , in search of diamonds, make a 1 wide straight line, about t layer 13. Every 43 to 7 blocks, I dig into the wall, no making a tunnel, just mining I. A stagingine, until your pick can't reach farther, mine out any diamonds you may see. I don't ry use this way on EMC, just because, if you don't lime traveling days from spawn like me, and closer up the ground is riddled with tunnels. Crossing into other tunnels is a real issue, as you may not be able to proceed from that point. If you are willing to go away from spawn a ways, unlike me, than it will work for you very well. In abot an hour, assuming you didn't really stop, you can get about a half stack , maybe even two, if you worked at an averageish pace.

Ok. here's what i mean about branchminingThe red&yellow is the area that you can cover.A larger scale are able to completely strip a whole chunk of ore. (If not completely, it would be at least 99%) or if dig for 160 block long 160wide 60 tall. will strip the whole 100 chunk out of ore.

If u have a big group. just dig it all out. 1person/1hole

Staggered branch mining in this way wouldn't seem to offer any added benefit to having multiple people on a crew. While I agree that covering lots of area will yield the largest amount of stones, it doesn't give any incentive to mine in a group as opposed to doing it on ones own.

Mining in a group adds complications and therefore extra work: Surveying, Setup, Training, Arranging compensation for the workers, Transport of mined materials, and Providing food and tools in a cost effective and loss-proof way.

I'm having trouble, logistically, thinking of a way to make running this worthwhile, because as it stands, traditional mining techniques seem to benefit a single miner the most.

So to recap, some of the issues I'm trying to focus on and want suggestions for:

Surveying

Site setup

Training

Worker compensation

Large scale mining methods (As opposed to single-miner methods)*

Transportation of mined materials

Providing food

Providing tools

Loss-prevention - People stealing mined materials and/or tools

*Problem is as follows:

1 miner working for 1 hour = 1 man hour

3 miners working for 1 hour = 3 man hours plus the amount of time it takes to survey, setup, train, feed and equip 3 workers.

So basically, the group would have to be more effective as a collective than they would be individually.

Here comes a chance to go on a bigscale mining trip with everyone, and I updated. This sucks.I'm DarkOogaBloopSmp4Time zone is.. sydney - australia - daylight savings (forgot the official 'timezone'I try and get on EMC whenever I can, and it is currently school holidays, so that's alot I would love to go on a massive mining trip with ya'll, but I updated!!

Here comes a chance to go on a bigscale mining trip with everyone, and I updated. This sucks.I'm DarkOogaBloopSmp4Time zone is.. sydney - australia - daylight savings (forgot the official 'timezone'I try and get on EMC whenever I can, and it is currently school holidays, so that's alot I would love to go on a massive mining trip with ya'll, but I updated!!

haha, don't worry, SO MANY people did that there's not anything going on on the server yet.

Also, I'm planning this carefully, and hoping it will be a permanent venture in the wild, so you haven't missed out yet.